Well, I was afraid this might happen, but I really didn’t expect it…*sigh*
I saw Corpse Bride yesterday, which was fantastic of course, and now I absolutely MUST make the costume for THIS Halloween – I just have to! I think waiting a whole year is much too long, plus I think I can actually pull it off, since I have many pieces of it all ready to go, and I spent the latter 3/4ths of the movie paying close attention to details, along with fully enjoying the story, visuals and music! Of course the pirate costume that I had planned well ahead to save myself time this year is indeed almost completely finished, but that can be easily saved for Mardi Gras instead, since it’s not as Halloweeny.
When I saw The Nightmare Before Christmas in October 1993, I knew there was no way I could do the Sally costume for that Halloween, so I was Sally for 1994 after I had the VHS so I could pause for details. Unfortunately only a few people recognized me then, since NBC had not yet become a cult favorite as it has in recent years. Emily the Corpse Bride is slightly bluer than Sally, but I can use the tights and makeup I bought back then for Sally, plus I will carefully cut off the skirt of my ghost dress from Halloween 2003 so the ghost dress can be put back together again, then add a new bodice. I found a pair of white opera-length gloves for $3 so easily trashed, I already have loose-weave muslin for the veil, and I’ll just scavenge through the JoAnn and Michaels bridal sections for headbands, flowers and such that I can thrash. Since her hair texture is yarnlike anyway, I will get dark steel blue yarn to make a new wig, using a wig cap this time so it can be a full head of hair. I will not make fake extra-large eyes this time as I did for Sally, but just deeply shade around my eyes and draw on the distinct eyelashes.
The question is the exposed bones for her left arm and right leg…can I do them well enough or will they just look stupid? That is still to be determined, since I think with all blue shoulders, arms & legs, with the facial makeup and blue yarn hair, the effect will be good enough without exposed bones…but we’ll see what I have time to do. 🙂
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I’m sure you could find a bit torrent bootleg of the movie so that you coudl study the details more if you needed to. After all, your intentions are not to get out of paying for the movie, since you’ve already seen it. 🙂
Thanks – I did think of that, but I think I’ve got most of it indelibly etched on my brain, plus I found enough stills online last night I think I have it covered. I might be taking a little artistic license however, especially where the exposed bones are concerned, since I am not a stop-motion animated creation. 😉 What a difference between pre-web and post-web costume-making, though! Now I can find an official website with promotional images all ready for me to peruse! 😉
Yeah, WB will have plenty of my money from this movie! The only reason I haven’t bought the soundtrack off iTunes already is that I’m toying with the idea of having a physical CD for the artwork & liner notes…but there is a “digital booklet” on iTunes, so I’m still wondering if that might be enough…hmm…
Well, if I know you, you will make the Corpse Bride happen! 🙂 I haven’t seen it yet, so I don’t know about the exposed bones. I would imagine that you could get away with out them, but I’m hardly able to make an informed opinion at this time. I do agree that shading around your eyes rather than going with big ol cartoony eyes would be the way to go. I’m looking forward to it! 🙂
Corpse Bride Costume
Hiyas Britta! I’m going as the Corpse Bride this Halloween as well, and have already started work. What I’m going to do is take the new original liscensed costume, (you can only find it on Ebay now, as Buy Costumes.com is sold out!), and work over that as a base. I found a white corset type shirt which I will cover with the muslin/gauze fabric and drap that around, attatching to the original skirt. The “gloves” will be partial fabric of musiln gauze, (think ren faire gauze, very thin) and “wrap” that around my arms. I already found at the local Salvation army a bridal veil complete with pearls and wires, that I will paint and thrash. Found a blue wig from another wig shop, which had been showing in the window for two years! LOL! They sold it to me at discount for 30 bucks. LOL! Its perfect.
As for my makeup, most of it will be body makeup, Ben Nye LiquiColors airbrushed on (remember Oola from Return of the Jedi?). Hubby will be attending and spraying me blue. LOL. I tried to do a bodysuit unitard thing but it just looked terrible, so body paint and makeup is the way to go with this costume. She’s so exposed in the movie. Almost the entire “Rubies” liscensed costume will be hidden or altered. I love taking pre-made things and trashing them!
My “bone” pattern will be sprayed on with airbrush paints. We plan to use at least 5-6 paints and the job will take about 3 hours. We are going to practise as the time gets closer on to Halloween. Also, I’m going to have a plush version of “Maggot” riding up on my bridal veil as well.
Should be an awesome costume, glad to know others share the love. Hope yours turns out great Britta!
Upanova
Re: Corpse Bride Costume
I was also thinking of having a little Maggot with me…heehee… Haven’t searched yet to see if I could find a plush one, though! I figured I’d see how much progress I made on the costume first.
Funny how I didn’t even think to look for a licensed costume, but I usually don’t like premade costumes anyway, and this one is no exception for me. I see why you’re using it as a starting place, though. The wig is too purple, the edges of the dress & corset have too much contrast vs. the white, the corset doesn’t fit well (to be expected for mass produced), and the veil isn’t even attached to the headband properly (in the film it was rouched/gathered around the back of the circlet)…let alone the sad miniskirt showing under the overskirt – heh!
I have made progress on mine already, and it’ll still be much less cost to me than the $200 for the official costume, but mostly because I had stuff already I could use vs. buying from scratch right now. Two rows of my wig are already sewn (dark heather lavender-blue yarn being hand-stitched onto a wig cap), my natural-cream loose-weave muslin I already had has been bleached, ready for swirls to be painted and the edge cut into swirls for the veil, I have bought some paper roses for the veil decoration, bought a silk bridal bouquet that I will spray paint blue, and I already have the blue tights and white shoes.
I have no one to spray me, nor do I have an airbrush anyway, so unless my makeup artist friend can hook me up with some smudgeproof good stuff, I’ll be using my blue pancake for my shoulders & right arm. Since I’m hosting my own party, I can’t spend time on handpainting bones on my arm the day of the party, so my plan so far for the bones are to use a white opera glove with sewn extension up to my shoulder, then paint the bones on the glove as shading. For the right leg I’m not sure yet if I’ll cut up an old white pair of cotton stretch pants or find an opaque white pair of tights, but the painting plan is the same for the leg bones. I think that will work, be easy enough to assemble for my party, then I just have to concentrate on the blue & then facial makeup, which will take plenty of time already. I like wigs for costumes, since then I just have to french braid my hair wet the night before, then throw on the wig vs. spending time on my own hair! 😉
I looked around for a strapless bra thing to use as a corset base, but I’m giving up and just making another corset from scratch using fabric I already have. I’ve made two corsets and a couple other boned bodices before, so it shouldn’t be too daunting, and custom-fit to me will look the best and be able to cinch in my waist as much as possible (as long as I have someone else there to lace me up properly!).
Can’t wait to see your costume! We’ll have to share photos after Halloween! 🙂
Nightmare Before Christmas
I stumbled upon this last month. I was so excited, finally a Halloween village I was inclined to purchase (and promptly did).